...we tend to grow.
Grow Local Colorado is a group of volunteers dedicated to promoting local food, local community, and local economy.
Thanks to Our Community... We Tend to Grow
To Our Village,
It takes a village goes the adage and that was never truer than in 2023. Last season was a great year by the numbers. We tended 19 garden sites that produced 9,100 pounds of produce. Our fruit tree gleaning efforts yielded over 8,700 pounds of fruit. Those thousands of pounds of delicious and nutritious food was distributed to 31 different organizations striving for food equity in their communities. Thousands of families and individuals benefited from the fruits of volunteers' labor.
We can't accomplish these feats without our community's support. In 2023 we had 954 adult volunteers, and 1146 youth volunteers tend our gardens for more than 2,400 hours. Anyone who gardens knows there is a direct correlation between the hours spent in a garden and the bounty it provides. Many volunteers have helped us for several years while some are brand new. Our 21 partnering organizations brought new faces and ideas. Slow Food Denver's volunteers were key to our Civic Center Park gardens being weed free and very productive. If not for Volunteers of Outdoor Colorado we wouldn't be able to plant 3,000 seedlings and thousands of seeds in a two-week period at the start of the season. Nor would we be able to take down those many gardens at the end of the season. Each volunteer brings talents, knowledge, and energy to our gardens and because of that, we all learn and grow. Our volunteers are the essence of a healthy, caring community.
SeedMoney helped us raise funds for raised beds and seedlings for Cory Elementary School, Sobriety House, and Tyler's gardens. Mile High Youth Corp helped build and fill the eight beds at Cory. One of the Cory volunteers asked if we could put in two beds at Sobriety House for her clients. The rest of the material was used to build 3 raised beds at our newest garden site, Tyler's. Tyler was our 2022 intern and he graciously offered his front yard in the Barnum neighborhood for us to grow and share in that underserved neighborhood.
Photo courtesy of Kevin Beaty, The Denverite
Thanks to Kevin Beaty's article in the Denverite we had a big influx of volunteers and tree owners participate this fall in our gleaning project. To coordinate all those new helpers and tree owners we hired a gleaning coordinator. Brandee Beauregard's positive energy and attention to detail allowed us to expand our efforts. A special thanks to Blue Shed Urban Garden for helping find recipients for the many crates of fruit we distributed weekly. And a shout out to Joe Fleenor for finding a heavy-duty cider press that allowed our volunteers to make their own cider with the bruised fruits not fit for food pantries. Due to the success of our 2023 gleaning program, we are organizing a citywide gleaning effort the end of September 2024. If you are interested in helping with this project we welcome you. We need all hands on deck to make this successful.
Many of you provide financial support. For those generous individuals we are most grateful. We can't do what we do without you. Two-thirds of our income is from individuals. If not for our supporters, we wouldn't be here. To each of you that contributed, know that we are so grateful for you, as are the many members of our community that are eating healthy thanks to you.
We have a big slate for 2024. We welcome you, your family and your friends in helping us grow more food, build a healthier community, and ensure a sustainable future.
In gratitude,
Barbara and Linda
GLC Co-directors
We have a big slate for 2024. We welcome you, your family and your friends in helping us grow more food, build a healthier community, and ensure a sustainable future.
In gratitude,
Barbara and Linda
GLC Co-directors
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